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The day after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with South Korean and Japanese diplomats, China is calling claims that Beijing is guarding North Korea’s nuclear program an “irresponsible accusation,” Reuters reports.
"The responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia should be shouldered by all parties in the region – all parties are stakeholders," said China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, responding to Clinton’s dismissal of Beijing’s call for additional talks on North Korea. "We call on the parties to positively respond to our proposals to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiation."

After talks with foreign ministers Kim Sung-hwan of South Korea and Seiji Maehara of Japan on Monday, Clinton said North Korea must demonstrate certain initiatives before negotiations can take place.

"We remain committed to seeking opportunities for dialogue, but we will not reward North Korea for shattering the peace or defying the international community," she said. "We first need an appropriate basis for the resumption of talks.”

Clinton also urged Beijing – which has yet to publicly condemn Pyongyang for its deadly attack on a South Korean island – to pressure the North to change its behavior, calling China a “country with unique and strong ties with North Korea” that has a “special role to play in helping to shape North Korea’s behavior.”